masked shrew
- noun
- /mæskd ʃru/
- US
:
musaraña enmascarada
- The masked shrew is frequently seen darting among the wet leaves in northern forests.
Examples
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Researchers studied the diet of the masked shrew to learn about local insect populations.
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The masked shrew is often found near water sources.
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Despite its small size, the masked shrew plays an important role in the ecosystem.
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Look at that masked shrew scurrying through the grass!
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The masked shrew is often found near water sources.
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Researchers studied the diet of the masked shrew to learn about local insect populations.
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Despite its small size, the masked shrew plays an important role in the ecosystem.
Synonyms
A small brown shrew that lives in damp fields and on forest floors in North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning — a shrew with mask-like darker coloring — is directly and transparently derived from 'masked' (having face-like colored markings) modifying 'shrew' (a small mammal). This is a literal adjective + noun composition with no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The name masked shrew comes from the little animal's dark 'mask' of fur across its head and back, so it looks like a tiny shrew wearing a mask. The masked part points to the darker fur and the shrew part names the small mammal, so the name describes its appearance.
